Painting Flowers
by ABeautifulDisaster92
Summary: Rick wasn't expecting a lot in Alexandria. He certainly wasn't expecting to meet a beautiful girl named Beth. She is everything in this world he isn't, hopeful, kind, and a person Rick wants in his life. Just when he starts to think they can be safe a new threat makes itself known. How will these two souls handle it?


**After two modern AU's I decided to write a one shot in the TWD universe, the only difference? Beth is not a Greene and has never met Team Family. Also Tyreese is still alive and I'm not including Father Gabriel in this story because I'm angry with him. **

In this new world Rick Grimes had learned if something seemed to good to be true, it probably was. He had counted on Terminus to be their new home, to be their refuge and it turned into a hell hole. After escaping Gareth and his family of cannibals they hit the road, not really knowing where they were heading. They ended up running into Noah, a kid about twenty years old, he was babbling about escaping a hospital and his home in Virginia. To humor the kid they made the long trip north but just liked he expected it was gone. Noah was devastated and Rick was getting tired of every hopeful lead ending in a dead end. At this point hope was useless.

Then a man named Aaron found them. He claimed he had a refuge and that Rick and his people were perfect for it. Rick wasn't convinced. In the end his people thought it was worth a shot and he was outvoted so now here they were standing outside the walls of Alexandria. The walls were high and just on the other side he heard children laughing. Glancing over at Michonne he noticed how calm she was, he thought since she had seen Woodbury if she had any hesitations about this place but she hadn't voiced any concerns. Grabbing Judith from the backseat he led his group to the wall.

Aaron told him they had to meet with Deanna. "Who the hell's Deanna?!" Abraham bellowed putting into words what Rick was thinking.

"She's the one that runs this place. She'll see each of you individually before you move into your new homes."

When Deanna told Rick she used to be a politician Rick instantly believed her. It also made him further believe this new place wasn't all it seemed. He was never a big fan of politics. "I saw that you have children." Deanna spoke sitting down across from him. "What are their names?"

"Carl and Judith." Rick answered.

"We have a small little daycare my son's girlfriend runs. Whenever you start to feel more comfortable here and when you get your job assignment you can take Judith there."

He didn't like the sound of his daughter in someone he didn't know's care. During the rest of their meeting Deanna told him about their walls, how the civilization started, and what she hoped Rick and his people could bring to Alexandria. Then before he knew it he was standing with Aaron in front of two huge houses his people would be sharing during their time here.

Within the next few days everyone was freshly showered and shaved, with the exception of Daryl, and had been assigned a job. Since everyone he trusted was working, and Carl was spending time with new friends, Rick had no other choice but to take Judith to the daycare. It was in a house much like his own on the other side of the compound. Knocking twice he stepped back and waited. The longer he stood on the porch the more he became convinced this was a bad idea. When he door opened his eyes slightly widened seeing a petite blonde standing in front of him. "Hi, you must be Rick," She smiled. "I'm Beth, sorry it took me so long I was giving the kids their snacks. Come in."

Nodding Rick followed her into the house. The house was decorated just like his but with more children's toys laying around. "How many kids do you keep?"

"Right now? Two." Beth explained as they walked into the kitchen. "Chloe here is three," She pointed to a little girl with bows in her hair. "And her brother, Caleb, is six."

Rick kept silent but watched the kids. They seemed comfortable, eating their apple slices and drinking juice. "So who's this?" He heard Beth ask.

"Uh, Judith."

"Hello there, Judith." Beth grinned holding her hands out.

To his surprise Judith instantly went to the blonde. "Deanna mentioned you were dating her son?" If Rick was gonna let his daughter stay with this girl he needed to learn as much about her as he could.

"Yeah, Aiden, we were together six months before the turn. When things started to get bad he brought me here and I never left."

"What about your family?"

"They lived down near Savannah. I wanted to go look for them but...I was too scared about what I would find."

Noticing how tense Rick was Beth frowned. "Look I know all this is...a lot. You don't know me but I heard Deanna is gonna send Noah here to help me."

"How do you know that?"

"Aiden told me, Deanna was talking about where y'all could work and mentioned Noah had a limp so maybe he would do best here with me."

"Did he happen to tell you where everyone else was gonna be?"

"Uh, Tyreese and Abraham are gonna be apart of the construction team, Carol actually volunteered to help in the kitchen. I don't know about everyone else."

"Ok...thank you." He mumbled looking down at his boots.

"You're welcome and Rick?" When he picked his head up she continued. "Give this place a chance."

"That's asking a lot these days."

"I understand, but all I'm asking is to have a little faith."

For Rick that was damn near impossible but looking at this young girl, her face heavenly, not touched by the evil of this new world Rick thought maybe he could try. "I'll be by later to check on Judith."

"We'll be right here." Beth told him as she walked him out the door.

Once he left Rick walked around his new home trying to spot any weaknesses. Deanna was right when it came to how strong the walls were but after seeing Noah's home completely destroyed by some outside force Rick didn't want to take any chances. The walls were high, and from what Deanna told him they were always looking to build even stronger forces but looking at the people around him he knew these people weren't ready for any type of attack. They went about their days like they were still living normally, without worry or care. Their guns and weapons were in a house locked away and had to be signed out like a library book.

"They're weak," Carol announced when he and Daryl met outside the walls. "What if we turn into them?"

"We won't." Rick argued.

In all honestly Rick decided early on he was gonna play a role. Make nice with everyone and then make his move. If they didn't change his mind, he and his people were going to take this place and anyone who didn't agree with him could either leave on their own or die.

Noah was anxious. Ever since Grady he didn't like the feeling of being trapped. He wished he could go with Glenn, Sasha, and Tara, be on the team that goes on runs but a cocky guy said no. "Dude with that leg of yours you'll just slow us down."

Another thing Noah didn't like, he didn't like people underestimating him. Now here he was standing on a front porch waiting for someone to open the door. "Excuse me, are you Noah?" A soft voice asked from behind him.

Turning around he saw a girl around his age with a stroller, a young boy standing right beside her, and she carried Judith in a baby carrier on her chest. "Yeah."

"I'm Beth, we were just going on a walk." She explained. "Want to come take another lap with us?"

Nodding he walked up beside her. "So...wouldn't you rather be doing something else?" He asked limping beside her.

She didn't look at him but he felt relieved she went at a slower pace, it felt better on his leg. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, wouldn't you rather be out there? Instead you're stuck in here babysitting."

"I'm fine with this, anything I can do to help. Chloe and Caleb's parents work around the community. They're needed wherever Deanna wants them and their kids need someone looking after them."

Noah was about to answer when the young boy pulled on his shirt. Glancing down he noticed the boy staring at him. "Will you play catch with me?" He questioned.

Directing his gaze at Beth all Noah saw was her smile. "Uh sure," He mumbled. "Tell you what maybe later we can ask Carl if he wants to play. We could make a game out of it."

"Yeah!" Caleb exclaimed.

Later on that afternoon Rick was making his rounds when he heard children cheering off in the distance. He hadn't seen Carl lately so he figured he must be at the source of the noise. It was so odd to him. In front of Rick were children playing a small game of baseball. Carl was pitching to the young boy he had seen earlier that morning while Noah was catching. More kids were playing the makeshift bases and a few stood back out in the grass. None of them had gloves, they were playing with an old tennis ball, and the bat looked like it had seen better days but none of them cared. Placing his hands on his hips Rick took in the scene. It was the best thing he had witnessed in a while.

Looking over he spotted Beth sitting on a blanket in the shade of a big oak tree a safe enough distance away from the action but close enough for her and the small girls could see. As Caleb hit the ball she cheered gently taking Judith's hands and clapped them together. Walking over he crouched down right next to the quilt. "I'm guessing you put this together?" He asked gesturing to the game in front of them.

"I may have had a hand in it," Beth grinned. "Noah helped though. We've never had enough kids to play an actual game before."

"Its good to see actually. I haven't seen Carl this happy in...I don't know how long."

"So you think y'all will be happy here?"

Looking her in the eye all he saw was kindness and trust. She didn't show any evil like he had seen in so many faces in this new world. "I'm not sure yet...but I'm getting there."

Nodding Beth smiled as Judith cooed at her daddy. "Its a good place for your family. And with you here I'm sure we can build it to be a place we can all be proud of."

"You sounds very sure of that. You don't even know me."

"But I know what you can do. You didn't just lead people for months on the road without knowing what you're doing."

"What if it was all luck?"

"I don't think so," She sighed running her hand over Judith's hair. "I think you as a person, the person you were, the person you are did whatever you could to make sure you and your people lived."

"I did my best."

"Apparently it was good enough since y'all made it here."

"Not all of us did."

Nodding Beth picked up a teddy bear and handed it to Chloe. "I'm sorry about your wife. I'm sorry about everyone you lost."

Before Rick could respond a loud voice calling Beth's name got both of their attention. "Aiden, hi." Beth smiled as a handsome boy sat across from Rick. "This is Rick Grimes and his daughter Judith."

"Oh hey, you're the leader of that group they brought in." Aiden exclaimed. "Pretty badass what you did. I gotta be honest though, you kind of scared the shit out of me during your tape."

Narrowing his eyes Rick snapped. "My tape?"

"Yeah, your audition tape. You look completely different without the beard by the way."

Something about the kid irritated Rick. He was grateful when Beth suggested Aiden go play baseball with everyone else. "Sorry about him, he's one of those you either love him or you hate him." She frowned.

"I see."

Noticing Judith and Chloe grow fussy Beth stood up. "I think its almost nap time."

"Here let me help," Rick insisted gently taking his daughter from her arms letting Beth grab Chloe.

After telling Noah to keep an eye on Caleb while they take the girls home Beth and Rick walked side by side towards her house. "So do you live with Aiden?"

"No, I live with Eleanor and Jessica. They're sisters and offered to let me live with them so I'm not intruding on Aiden's family." She explained. "They both work as seamstresses."

"Can they maybe save my jeans? I've more than worn these bad boys in."

"If they can't I can. I've learned a thing or two from living with them." She chuckled opening the door.

Following her upstairs she led Rick to her bedroom. It was decorated with bright colors and a few pictures Rick guessed were her family. In front of her bed was a pack and play she pointed for him to put Judith in as she laid Chloe on her full sized bed. Once both children were asleep Rick and Beth quietly headed for the door. As Rick stepped into the hallway he noticed Beth grab a baby monitor from the dresser and close the door behind her. "Come on, I'll make us something to eat." She whispered.

Sitting at the kitchen island Rick watched her work. She was mumbling something about Jessica being a picky eater but he barely noticed. It was incredible how different he was from this girl but how easy it was to be around her. Here he was a hardened shell of his former self thanks to this world and this woman who it had barely touched. In all the darkness that surrounded them it was like she was a beacon of light. He saw no reason to not trust or get to know her.

When she placed a plate of rice and vegetables in front of him he finally snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, its probably not the best meal but..." She muttered rocking back on her heels.

"It looks great, you should have seen what we had to eat on the road." He chuckled, the sound was so unfamiliar to him as it left his mouth.

Leaning on the counter Beth frowned. "What's it like out there? I've tried to talk to Aiden about it but he always just waves me off."

Rick shrugged. "Its about as bad as you can imagine." He sighed. "You're on the road constantly, never knowing if you're safe. If you're traveling with a group you're scared to get too close to them because when you care about someone getting hurt is part of the package."

"But you have a big group. All of you are strong in your own ways."

"Yeah...we learned to take care of ourselves but it wasn't easy. It wasn't always that way. We had some try to hurt us, even try to eat us."

He didn't mean it as a joke and judging by the disgusted look on her face she didn't take it that way either. "I hope my family never ran into those kind of people."

"Would you ever want to go and try to find them?"

"At one time I would." She frowned. "When all this was happening I did everything I could to try and leave but everyone told me I couldn't. Aiden had to pick me up and carry me away from the wall."

"Was it just your parents?"

"And my older brother. My dad was doctor and my mom was a school teacher. I was always helping out at her classroom."

"That's how you became so good with kids?"

Nodding he watched a smile brighten her face. "Yeah, I wanted to become a music teacher. I taught myself to play guitar and piano when I was ten and by that time I had already made my mind up what I wanted to do with the rest of my life."

Their conversations were simple, just casually getting to know each other but Rick held back. He let her know things he thought she needed to know, he was a cop, he was married, but he didn't want to go into too big of detail of everything he had seen on the road. This girl seemed to enjoy talking to him and he was eager to learn more, he didn't want to scare her with his demons.

He had lost track of time when he realized he needed to meet Carol and Daryl outside the wall. Mumbling something about needed to make his rounds he left the house and nearly ran into Aiden on the way. "Oh hey man, I didn't know you were still here," Aiden smiled but Rick noticed how the man's posture was off.

"Yeah, uh, just talking to Beth."

"Oh yeah, she loves to talk." Aiden chuckled. "So I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be around later to pick up Judith." Rick told him brushing past the male to walk down the porch steps not even bothering to turn around when he heard Aiden yell 'see you around!'

As he walked to the meeting spot he thought about Beth. If everyone in this new civilization was like her then he wouldn't mind living in Alexandria. He liked her but then there was Deanna, there was something about her he couldn't put his finger on. The people of Alexandria were sheltered, he already realized that the day he moved in, he needed to know if they would be able to handle themselves if something were to happen. He also needed to know Deanna would be willing to let him help them learn what they needed to in this new world.

Now here he was staring at the guns Carol held in her hand. A part of him was screaming to take it, that there would be a day when he would need it. But then there was a small part of him that felt like he had at the prison. He had gotten comfortable and went days without having his gun attached to his waist. Too many things had happened to him since then. Now he would rather be safe than sorry. Taking the gun he put in the waistband of his jeans and went back to the wall. This was just how it has to be for now.

A few days later Rick had spent most of the day with Michonne and Deanna talking about Daryl and Aaron's new mission. "So where are they headed?" Rick asked looking over the map laid out in front him.

"Aaron said they will head out on 27 and head back to Petersburg." Deanna explained.

Rick wasn't sure if he liked the idea of Daryl leaving. He knew wherever Daryl went he would be ok but Rick felt better about staying in this place with Daryl around. If something were to happen he knew they would need Daryl but judging by that determined look on Daryl's face Rick knew there was no changing his friend's mind.

As he was leaving Rick grabbed his shoulder. "Be careful out there."

Daryl didn't answer just nodded his head and then fired up his new motorcycle. Rick stood by and watched them leave. As the gate closed he didn't know what he was more afraid of, what they find out on the road or who they find.

To add to his stress Glenn announced he, Tara, Eugene, and Sasha were going on a run with Aiden and Nicholas. Every day he spent at Alexandria was another day he tried to learn what he could about every single resident. Nicholas was a coward, he already gathered that much. Aiden was impulsive and reckless and Rick didn't want his people out with them. "We'll be all right, Rick," Glenn assured him as they loaded up the van.

"Yeah Glenn's kinda in charge now. Nothing can go wrong with him running things." Tara whispered so Aiden didn't hear.

"Ok," Rick sighed. "Be safe and make sure Eugene gets what he needs."

After the van left the gate Rick decided to go visit Beth and Judith. When he dropped Judith off that morning Beth had told him Chloe and Caleb had gotten terrible colds and their mother insisted they stay home. "She said the last thing she wanted was to get Judith sick." Beth told him as she took Judith from his arms.

As he walked towards her house he noticed Beth sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair with a smiling Judith on her lap. Once he got closer he heard the young girl faintly singing to the baby. "Sounds nice," Rick complimented leaning against the porch rails.

"Oh hi, sorry, I didn't mean for anyone else to hear."

"Nothing to apologize for. You got stage fright?"

"No...no, its just, Aiden usually says my singing is annoying." She frowned.

"Don't listen to him, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

Seeing her blush made him smile. Sitting down he gestured for her to sing again. She was still blushing as she opened her mouth and began to sing an old country song. For the rest of the day he was content on sitting on her front porch listening to her sing to his daughter. When he was with her the worries and concerns he had melted away. As he sat on the steps listening to her he forgot about about the gun he had hidden and what he was going to have to do with it.

The sun had began to set when he and Judith started to head home. Along the way he met up with Carl who carefully avoided the subject of how his day was spent. "They're back!" Rick heard someone yell as the gate opened.

"Here, Carl, take your sister. I'll meet you at home." Rick told his son, passing the baby to his son.

Running over he saw Glenn driving the van and judging by the look on his face things had gone wrong. His eyes widened seeing Eugene carrying a wounded Tara out of the van. "Get a doctor!" Rick commanded as he ran towards the van. "What happened?"

Glenn's mouth was set in a stern line. "Aiden and Sasha are dead." He muttered, going over to help Eugene with Tara.

Rick frowned, it had been so long since they lost someone close to them it felt foreign to him. Now not only did they lose Sasha but Aiden as well. Turning around he noticed Deanna approaching. As she got closer he saw the concern growing on her face. "Where's my son?" She asked when she looked inside the van.

Glancing at the ground Rick sighed. "He and Sasha didn't make it." He explained. "Tara's hurt, she needs a doctor."

He watched Deanna choke back tears. "Take her to Pete. Nicholas take them there and tell him what happened."

As they took the girl away Deanna sighed, barely holding herself together. "I have to tell my husband." She whispered before heading to her house.

Standing on the street alone Rick's thoughts turned to Beth. She didn't know and he didn't want someone else to be the one to tell her. After checking in on Carl and Judith he walked down the street towards her house. Unfortunately he saw Nicholas leaving just as he arrived. Walking up the steps he watched the man run away in a panic. Rick didn't know what happened on that run but he was going to find out.

Knocking on the door a woman he didn't recognize opened it. "Who are you?" She questioned.

"I'm Rick Grimes, uh, Beth watches my daughter."

"Oh..." The woman trailed off.

"Is she ok?"

Stepping aside she frowned. "She's in her room. You can try to talk to her if you want."

"Thank you," Rick mumbled walking into the house not even bothering to see who else was in the living room.

Her door was closed, not surprising. Pressing his ear to the wood he didn't hear anything on the other side. Taking a deep breath he knocked twice. "Beth? Its Rick."

Stepping back he waited. After a minute or two he heard a faint, 'Come in.' on the other side. Not missing a beat he opened the door to see Beth sitting in the middle of her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. Closing the door behind him he hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed. "I heard..." He whispered.

Death wasn't new to Rick, comforting someone after losing a love one was never easy. Back when he was a cop he had the unfortunate experience of telling a husband that his wife had been killed in a car accident. It was the first time he had to deliver such devastating news. It wasn't something to get used to, seeing the hurt and utter despair on the person's face. There was nothing you could say to help them, you can't bring their loved one back.

Wiping under her eyes Beth sighed. "Nicholas said there was an accident." Her voice was shaky and tears were still falling from her eyes. "He said they tried to save him but there was nothing they could do."

"I'm sure Glenn did everything he could."

"He said one of your people died too...did she have any family?" Somehow he wasn't surprised Beth was worried about someone she didn't even know.

Nodding his head he said. "Yeah...she has a brother. Tyreese."

"Is he ok?"

"I-I don't know, I came straight here after I heard about what happened."

"I should probably go see Deanna." She muttered swinging her legs over the edge of the bed to slip her boots on.

As she stood up she stepped closer to Rick. When he stood up she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his shoulder. It took him a second before he recognized what was happening. Lifting his arms he ran his hands up and down her back. "Thank you for coming by." She murmured into his shirt.

Lightly pressing his lips to her hair he nodded. "Don't worry about Judith tomorrow. I'll keep her and you just...take a day off."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to." He urged as she stepped back.

Walking her out he felt the eyes of her roommates on his back as they stepped outside into the cooler air. Without a word he walked her to Deanna's house. She didn't ask him to but she was grateful for his company. He stayed on the sidewalk as she headed to the front door and as she went inside she sent him a small wave which he returned. Once she was inside he headed back to his own house to find Glenn and get to the bottom of what happened.

The next day there was an eery silence over Alexandria. It seemed like the entire civilization had gone into a stand still. The construction crew didn't head out to work, there was no one walking the streets, and it didn't help matters that the weather seemed to match everyone's mood. It was a cloudy, dreary day with the threat of rain at any minute.

Rick sat in his living room with Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Carol, and Abraham. Glenn had told them what happened during the run. Aiden was trying to take down a walker grenade on its vest and caused an explosion. Tara was hit in the head with debris and Aiden had been sent back into a shelf, pieces of metal impaling his torso. "We tried to save him but Nicholas left..." Glenn explained. "We had no choice."

"I know you did," Rick told the younger male. "Has anyone seen Tyreese?" Glenn had told them what happened to Sasha the previous night. The mere thought of watching her get torn apart haunted each of hem but he was most worried about her older brother.

"I went to see him earlier." Michonne sighed. "He said he just wanted to be alone for a while."

Glancing at Maggie Rick asked. "Have you spoken to Deanna?"

"I went by this morning but she never answered the door. I was gonna go back later this afternoon."

"I think for right now we lay low. We're still strangers here, we could face a backlash."

"And if we do?" Carol questioned, she already knew the answer but she needed Rick to tell all of them.

Narrowing his eyes Rick frowned. "Then we do what we have to do. We need to keep an eye out for Daryl, he and Aaron should be back anytime now."

After their meeting Rick decided to go see Beth. He wasn't sure if she was going to be at Deanna's or her own house but he just wanted to check on her. To his surprise she wasn't at either house, instead he found her sitting under the same tree she had the kids during the baseball game. She wasn't crying from what he could see, her face looked blank and the sight sent a pang of sadness through him. "Hey, I was wondering where you were." He told her taking a seat a few feet away.

"I just...needed to get away from everyone for a little while. They keep asking me if I'm ok and if I need anything."

"They're just concerned."

"I know but," She frowned. "Deanna is a mess. She and her family need the concern. She lost her son."

Sitting in silence Rick scanned her face. Her eyes appeared to be tired, with dark circles underneath, and her hair was pulled messily up into a ponytail. She still looked beautiful in his eyes. "Was it like this when your wife died?" He heard her ask breaking him out of his thoughts.

Rick was wondering how she knew about Lori but then he remembered Deanna's interview with him and the others. Carl must have talked about his mother at some point and word traveled fast in this place. "People tried to help but...I wasn't in a good place back then."

"You lost your wife, I can't imagine you would be fine after something like that."

Shrugging Rick stared at the damp grass. He had tried to forget those few weeks but no matter how hard he tried he heard Judith's cries while Maggie carried her out of the cell block. At first he was elated to see his newborn daughter but then the realization his wife wasn't with them hit him like a ton of bricks. "I wasn't fine for a long time, I became like a dictator there for a while. I wasn't there for my son or my daughter. Hershel and a woman named Donna helped with Judith when she was first born."

"They didn't make it?"

He shook his head. "No...this man, the Governor, attacked our home. We lost a lot of good people then."

"It had been a while since we lost anyone. I guess we got lucky." She frowned. "I should probably head back, there's gonna be a small funeral later today for Aiden and Sasha."

Rick nodded, standing up to help her off the grass. Placing his hand on her shoulder he gave it a gentle squeeze before she walked back to her house. After she left him Rick decided to go check on Tyreese. Everyone had left him alone for the most part but after everything he had done for his family Rick just wanted to be there for him.

Carl was sitting with Judith when he got home. "Where is everyone?" Rick asked his son, taking his daughter from his arms.

"Michonne and Maggie went to talk to Deanna. Glenn took a walk and Noah is upstairs resting. Carol's cooking some sort of casserole, I think." Carl explained. "Where were you?"

"I just went to see someone. Tyreese still upstairs?"

"Yeah, he hasn't come out."

Rick nodded before heading upstairs to the bedroom Tyreese and Sasha had been sharing. The door was slightly cracked letting him peak inside. He saw Tyreese sitting at the edge of one of the twin beds. Knocking softly he waited for some sort of reaction but the other man never moved. Pushing the door open Rick stepped inside. "Ty?" Still no response. "Carl said you haven't been downstairs, you want some food or anything?"

"No...I'm good." Tyreese croaked, his voice deeper than usual.

Now Rick could see the faint tear tracks on his face. "Uh, there's gonna be a funeral, later today. I don't know if you heard."

Shaking his head Tyreese took his beanie off. "She shouldn't have been out there in the first place. Ever since Bob...she wasn't in a good place."

"She made a choice," Rick sighed running his hand over Judith's back. "Knowing her she wouldn't have let you stop her."

One side of Tyreese's mouth perked up. "You're right...but I'm her older brother. I should have been there for her. I should have been there for her this whole time."

"Ty you and I both know if you were there we could have lost both of you. Or maybe Glenn, Eugene."

"How's Tara?" He questioned. Tyreese had heard she had been injured but had been too preoccupied to ask anyone about her condition.

"She's still unconscious but Rosita said the doctor was hopeful."

Tyreese nodded. "Thanks, Rick." He looked down at the floor. "I guess...I guess the silver lining is her and Bob are together again."

Hearing the hopeful Tyreese begin to come back made Rick smile slightly. Ever since all this started Rick gave a lot of thought to the afterlife. Was there a heaven? A hell? If there was a God why did he do this to everyone? Before Lori had made he and Carl go to church almost every Sunday. Rick wasn't a devout Christian or anything but he believed in God. Now he wasn't so sure what he should believe but at the moment he needed to think about how Tyreese was feeling. "She's with everyone else. She won't be alone."

The funeral was just a small gathering of maybe twenty people. Deanna's family stood by Rick's. Aiden's brother Spencer said a few words while Beth stood off to the side, tears falling down her face. Rick wanted to go over to her and provide some type of comfort. Carol was standing by Tyreese with her hand resting on his back with Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, and Noah close by.

With no bodies there were just makeshift markers of wooden crosses. When it was all over Tyreese bent down to place his hand on Sasha's marker. He whispered something like 'I love you, watch over us.' before placing his beanie back on his head and walking back through the gate. Rick waited for everyone to leave but noticed Deanna stay. Taking a deep breath he hesitantly walked up behind her. "Deanna...I'm sorry for your loss."

When she didn't reply Rick kept going. "Deanna I don't know what you've been told..."

"I've been told enough, thank you Rick."

Rick wanted to argue, he wanted to let her know she had a coward on her hands who would rather save his own skin than anything else but he let it go. This woman just lost her son, they could deal with everything else later.

As he walked through the gate he noticed Beth walking towards him. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I wanted to talk to you but not here." She whispered gesturing him to follow her back to her house.

Eleanor and Jessica had stepped out leaving them alone. Once he was inside Beth quickly shut the door. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Did Glenn cause the accident? Nicholas said Glenn was distracting Aiden while he was shooting a walker and that's what caused the explosion."

Rick could feel his anger growing. "Is that what he told you?"

"That's what he's been telling everyone. He's blaming the entire thing on Glenn. And then he was trying to break the glass in the revolving door but it wasn't working. They were going to let the walkers attack Nicholas and save themselves?"

"Do you believe that?" He asked stepping closer to her.

He watched the way her eyes scanned his face. "No."

"Why?"

"Cause if your people are anything like you they would never do a thing like that."

Sighing in relief Rick said. "Beth, Aiden died because he didn't see the grenade. He was just shooting, trying to make a headshot but hit the grenade instead. Unfortunately he did it to himself." He told her, judging by the look on her face she believed him. "Glenn was trying to break the glass but Nicholas panicked. He squeezed himself out leaving Glenn and Sasha."

Beth closed her eyes, processing everything he had just said. "I always thought Nicholas was a liar but this just confirms it."

"But does everyone else feel the same way?"

"I don't know," She frowned. "Deanna is trying to be impartial but I'm afraid she's being blinded by grief."

"What will she do if she decides Nicholas is telling the truth?"

Taking a deep breath she muttered. "Banishment. She'll banish Glenn and maybe the rest of your group."

They stood in silence until he heard Beth whisper. "You can't leave."

"If Glenn goes we all go, she wouldn't need to banish the rest of us."

"I kind of expected that but the thing is I don't want _you _to leave." She muttered not looking up to look him in the eye.

Closing the gap between them Rick took her into his arms. He didn't want to push his boundaries but right now all he wanted to do was hold her. When he felt her small arms wrap around his back he felt better knowing she wanted the same thing. Neither of them spoke, wanting to savor the moment of just pure silence with each other. Beth leaned her head against his chest listening to his heartbeat while Rick smelled the faint strawberry scent of her hair. "_If _that happens...you can come with us."

"What?" She blurted snapping her head up to look at his face.

"If we get banished then you can come with us." He told her. "I don't want to lose you either and we can go try to find your family. If you want that is."

Blinking back tears she nodded. "You would really do that for me?"

"Would you really want to leave all this to go out into the dangerous unknown?"

"With you, yes." She said with no sound of hesitation but Rick was concerned. She just lost her boyfriend how could she be so eager to just leave? Was it her grief talking?

"Beth, I want you to think long and hard about this, all right?" When she agreed he let her go. "I gotta get back to Carl and Judith."

"I can watch Judith for you tomorrow. Thank you for the day off though."

"No problem, I'll see you in the morning."

As he walked back to his house all he smelled were strawberries and he could still faintly feel her body pressed against his. Just as he stepped onto the porch he heard the sound of the gate opening. Then he heard Daryl shouting. Without waiting for anyone to react Rick ran to his friend his eyes widening seeing him half carrying Aaron. Both of them were bloodied but Aaron was unconscious. "Daryl?! What happened?"

"We were ambushed." Daryl coughed as Rick helped him carry the man. "It was a trap, there were walkers and then some guys with W's carved into their heads."

As they headed towards the doctor Rick noticed more of their people running towards them. "Get Deanna and a doctor!" He called over to them.

Michonne left the group to run to Deanna's house while everyone else caught up with Rick and Daryl. "How did you get away?" Rick asked Daryl.

"Some guy, he distracted them enough for us to make a get away. Didn't get a good look at him though."

"Did they follow you?" Carol questioned.

"Don't know, we were too busy trying not to get ourselves killed." Daryl snapped. "Aaron didn't even know he got shot til we got away. He passed out a few miles back."

"Lets get you both cleaned up and we'll worry about the rest later." Rick told the group.

Later on he was told Daryl had to have stitches to cuts on his face and hands from combat with a W man. Aaron had experienced major blood loss but with multiple transfusions from a few people they hoped he would be fine. He still hadn't woken up but everyone was hopeful he would within a day or two. After Daryl was cleared he met up with Rick outside on the porch. "Shit was fucked up," He breathed leaning against one of the posts. "They set up traps with walkers inside them. They tried to get us blocked off but we kept outrunning them."

"How many men were there?"

"I don't know, maybe nine or ten or more? I can't remember." He sighed. "They reminded me of Joe and his group but they just treated it like a game. It wasn't about survival it was just about seeing how many people they could kill."

"You'll have to tell Deanna about this. If they were to follow your trail and find us she needs to get everyone organized and ready for a fight."

"Think they would be ready?"

"I don't know but she still needs to know what happened."

Daryl nodded before walking off the porch. As he left Rick spotted bright blonde hair coming towards him. Seeing Beth made him feel a sense of relief. "Hey, I heard Daryl and Aaron were back. Are they ok?"

"They will be but I need to tell you something." He whispered gently taking her arm and lead her to the other side of the porch. "Do you know how to shoot a gun?"

"Yeah, Aiden taught me. I don't have the best aim but..."

"That's ok, look just in case you need to know how to defend yourself."

"Rick why?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Daryl and Aaron ran into some men, they're dangerous and there's a chance they could find this place and try to take it."

"Does Deanna know?"

"Daryl's gone to tell her I just want to let you know if anything happens you come find me, ok?"

"I will."

He could tell she was scared. This was probably the first time she's ever been faced with any kind of danger. Reaching down he intertwined their fingers and gave her hand a small squeeze. "Just come and find me." He repeated.

That night Rick couldn't sleep. He had insisted he, Judith, and Carl sleep in the same room just in case. Carl was smart he understood something may happen so he didn't ask questions, he just held Judith close and tried to sleep. In his head Rick tried his best to come up with a plan. The only way out of Alexandria was the gate. If they needed to make a quick escape they would have to find another way. He wondered if there were any explosives in the armory, if they had to they would need to get them in a hurry and blow out a part of the wall. Their group was still spread out though which worried him. Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Tyreese, and Noah had moved into the other house next door while he, Carol, Daryl, Carl, and Judith stayed together. Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita hadn't left Tara's side in the infirmary. If they had to make a quick escape would he be able to find everyone in time? Then there was Beth, she lived on the other side of the compound, what if he couldn't find her and was forced to leave her behind?

It was early in the morning when he heard the first scream. Shooting up in bed he ran to the window to see a house burning in the distance and shouts coming from the streets. His sudden movement had woken his son. "Carl, get Judith!" He commanded grabbing his jacket and the gun he had hidden in the bedside table.

"What's going on?" Carl asked grabbing Judith's sling and gently placing her in it.

"We're being attacked. We gotta go." Rick told him quickly before running out into the hallway where he saw Carol and Daryl already ready.

"They found us." Daryl mumbled but they all heard him.

"Carol, take Carl and Judith to the armory. Use the back door and be careful. We'll meet you at the back wall, stay hidden until we get there." Rick explained. "Daryl, you're with me. We go out there and find our people."

Just as Rick and Daryl headed downstairs Rick heard his son call his name. Turning around all he saw was Carl's worried expression. "Be careful."

Nodding once Rick followed Daryl outside to the porch. Outside all he heard were screams. Smoke filled the night sky and gun shots were heard all around. The first man he saw had a W on his forehead. His hair was long and unruly while his eyes were red with rage. Pulling out his gun Rick took a single shot hitting him right in the chest. When he dropped he turned around to see Michonne and Glenn running towards them. Michonne already had her katana in her hand. "Where is everyone?" She questioned.

"The back wall, we're gonna have to create our own exit." He explained quickly as they saw walkers stumble through the gate.

"Shit." Glenn whispered.

"Kill them all." Rick said, Daryl and Glenn glanced at him both thinking back to the last time they heard their leader say those words.

Hearing gun shots made them run for cover. Rick crouched down drawing his pistol hitting a few of the W men but he knew he was running out of ammo. Behind him Glenn and Michonne took care of any impending walkers. Daryl shot a few bolts at the attackers making them drop to the ground. "Rick!" He heard someone shout.

Coming towards him he saw Rosita, Maggie, and Abraham running towards them with guns in their arms. Passing them out quickly they were able to cause more damage. "We need to head to the back wall!" Rick yelled over the commotion.

As they continued shooting the group slowly retreated but as they got closer Rick thought about Beth. Where was she? "Abraham get them to the wall! I'll meet you there!" He called over to the red head before running down the street, taking out walkers in his path.

When he reached her house he saw the front door was wide open but no sign of any of the girls that lived there. Stopping to catch his breath he tried not to panic. If she wasn't here she must have tried to find him. He was about to run back when he heard screams coming from down the road. Taking cover behind the remaining houses he hurried towards the sounds. Peaking around the wall he saw Beth's roommate Jessica laying dead in the grass with walkers feasting on her body. Cringing at the sight and the possibility that Beth had faced a similar fate Rick kept moving.

Just a few blocks down he heard her voice, crying and pleading which made his anger boil. Ducking behind a shrub he spotted them. Beth and Eleanor were sitting on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs, tears pouring down their cheeks and four men standing behind them. With his finger on the trigger he silently raised his gun. They were armed but he didn't want to wait and see what they had in mind for the two girls. Taking careful shots he hit the men in vital areas making them fall to the ground with loud thumps. Once they were taken care of Rick hopped out of his hiding spot with his knife in his hand. "Rick?" Beth questioned, her voice shaky like she didn't believe he was standing in front of her.

"We're getting out of here," He told them both cutting their bindings.

Helping Beth up he gently placed his knife into her hand. "If anything happens run to the back wall, tell them I sent you there."

"I'm not leaving with you." She muttered.

He knew this wasn't a good time, houses were still burning. Walkers were closing in and the W men were could attack at any moment but for Rick it felt like it was just them. Pulling her closer he gave her a hard kiss on the lips. Everything he felt, fear, maybe love, was poured into this kiss. If they never shared another one he wanted her to remember his feelings for her. "Guys..." Eleanor gasped.

Breaking apart Rick turned to see ten walkers coming towards them, their mouths open and ready to attack. "Run!" He commanded taking off in a sprint pulling Beth behind him.

Eleanor was up ahead dodging debris left in the street. They heard yelling but none of them could tell who it was from. It could be their people but they weren't stopping to find out. The smell of smoke had grown significantly stronger making them cough and wheeze but they refused to stop. Rick knew they were getting close but the horror of two walkers jumping out from behind a few garbage cans made them freeze as they sunk their teeth into Eleanor's shoulders. Beth screamed and covered her mouth seeing her roommate being devoured right in front of her. Falling into Rick's arms and being forcibly led away from the sight made her cry harder. The last image she had of her friend was of her screaming in agony as blood flowed down her clothing and onto the pavement.

They were almost at the meeting spot when Rick felt a bullet hit his leg making him fall to the ground, almost pulling Beth with him. "Beth, go." He cringed as he tried to push himself up.

"I told you I'm not leaving you," She snapped grabbing his gun from his hand. Without hesitation she shot at two men behind them, hitting them right in the chest.

Helping Rick to his feet she guided him slowly to the wall where he saw a huge hole in the middle. "Carol must have found a grenade." He mumbled.

As they left Alexandria Rick and Beth never looked back. They walked for a mile and a half when they heard Carl's voice calling out to his father. "Oh thank God," Rick sighed when he saw his son and daughter waiting on them.

With Beth's hands still holding him up he hugged his children tight. "'Bout time you showed up." He heard a gruff voice say.

Looking up he saw Daryl, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Tyreese, Abraham, Eugene, Rosita, Noah, and Carol all standing around a small fire. Closer to the flame he noticed Tara, Aaron, and Eric, all three were still injured and unable to walk on their own but alive. Their little group had grown and they were back to where they started, out on the road but they were together and that was all that mattered. Whatever came next they would handle it, just like they always did.

**I feel like this isn't my best work so I apologize for that. I hope you like it :)**


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